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RAHI ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM CREATES SUPPORT FOR RURAL STUDENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2001

Fairbanks, Alaska - Fifty-three students from rural Alaska towns and villages will soon head for UAF’s six-week "academic boot camp" known as RAHI. This is the 19th year for the Rural Alaska Honors Institute to take place at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The village-to-campus bridging program combines a curriculum of full-credit academic course work with an experience that includes teamwork and community-building with an emphasis on Alaska Native cultures.

"Students build a supportive network, help each other to learn the material and adjust to campus life away from home," said program director Jim Kowalsky. "Typically RAHI is a tight-knit community. Students make many wonderful new friends from all over Alaska. The goal of the program is to help build academic skills and to have that same group of scholars reinforce each other for a lifetime of learning."

This year will feature the first-ever second generation participant, Lucy Gavin of Buckland, a junior attending Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. Lucy is the daughter of Eddie Gavin of Buckland (RAHI ’83) and Lisa Gavin (RAHI ’86) of Fairbanks. Both parents are also UAF graduates.

"It’s great to watch this happen," said Kowalsky. "Lucy is an example of building a constituency for post secondary education generally and for the University of Alaska among our extended RAHI family."

This year’s featured graduation speaker on July 6, Captain Wayne Don of Mekoryuk who attended RAHI in 1989, and earned a justice degree at UAF in 1994. Don of the U.S. Army, who saw action in the Balkans, has been appointed an Assistant Professor of Military Science at UAF where he will oversee ROTC cadet training.

"Wayne is the first of 800 RAHI alumni to receive a university faculty appointment," said Kowalsky. "This is a very special occasion for us, for Wayne, and for the university. There’s a lot of pride and excitement wrapped up in this."

Other alumni have entered the professional Alaska workforce as engineers, teachers, nurses, accountants, Native corporation officials, and biologists among others. More than 150 others are pursuing undergraduate degrees. Several program alumni are also in law schools and medical schools.

"We believe we are helping launch students into career paths after a successful college effort we helped to foster," said Mr. Kowalsky.

Eighty-five juniors and seniors from Hydaburg to Adak to Barrow to Fort Yukon to Mentasta Lake applied to this year’s RAHI, currently sponsored by the UAF College of Liberal Arts with participation of the UAF College of Rural Alaska. The students travel to the UAF campus on May 26, 2001.

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Note to Editors: Student list enclosed

CONTACT: Jim Kowalsky, RAHI Director at (907) 474-6886, fyrahi@uaf.edu or visit the RAHI web page http://www.uaf.edu/rahi/.

JK/01/15/01-01/071

RAHI 2001 Student Roster
(as of May 15, 2001)

  1. Aleta Alstrom - Alakanuk
  2. Megan Alvanna-Stimpfle - Nome
  3. Sabrina Anderson - Ouzinkie
  4. Irving Ashenfelter - White Mountain
  5. Logan Bower- Nulato
  6. Jamie Bridges- Fort Yukon
  7. Patrick "PJ" Brown - Sand Point
  8. Thomas Burton- Seward
  9. Jacquelyn Byrne - Koliganek
  10. Paula Carl- Kipnuk
  11. Derek Carson - Point Hope
  12. Cheryl Charles- Tuntutuliak
  13. Tess Christiansen - Old Harbor
  14. Denise Coopchiak - Togiak
  15. Lena Downey- Ambler
  16. Heidi Eckman- Delta Junction
  17. Esther Edwards- New Stuyahok
  18. Jolene Firmin- Fort Yukon
  19. Jenni Flanigan- Skwentna
  20. Lucy Gavin- Buckland
  21. Rochelle Greenley - Togiak
  22. Missy Gumlickpuk - New Stuyahok
  23. Dora Hadley- Buckland
  24. Shannon Haggitt - Eek
  25. Isaac Hall - Unalaska
  26. Krystal Henry- Akiachak
  27. Susannah Howard - Talkeetna
  28. Heather Huntington - Galena
  29. Golda Ingram- Dillingham
  30. Carla Jackson- Kwethluk
  31. Sheila James- Fort Yukon
  32. Nicholai Joekay- Napaskiak
  33. Gertie Johnson- Unalakleet
  34. Tisha Kingeekok- Savoonga
  35. Dolly Kiyutelluk- Shishmaref
  36. Jacinthe LeCornu - Hydaburg
  37. Crystal Lewis- Kwigillingok
  38. Ricky Lind- Dillingham
  39. Eva Nageak- Barrow
  40. Latanya Odden- Willow
  41. John O’Neil - Hydaburg
  42. Edward Olsen- Cordova
  43. Charles Paukan- St. Mary’s
  44. Marian Petla- New Stuyahok
  45. Lacy Plummer- Adak
  46. Mandi Reedy- Mentasta Lake
  47. Mikayla Saito- Kotzebue
  48. Angela Sergie- Togiak
  49. Jesse Thomas- Fort Yukon
  50. Raegan Thompson - Iliamna
  51. Lisa Usugan- Tununak
  52. Jerad Vanderpool - McGrath
  53. Heidi Wassillie- Togiak

 

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